Press Releases: Step By Step Guide to Writing and Formatting

Reporters, editors and their staff are all busy, and it's important your press release be as professional as possible – those that are badly written or formatted don't even make it onto someone's desk. Remember, your job in writing a press release is to make it easier for the journalist to write his or her story.So, where do I start?The Headline:This should be simple. It should clearly summarise your top level message. Don't try to be too clever – just informative enough to catch the journalist's eye. Keep your headline to 10 words or less.The Lead Paragraphs:A rule of thumb is that the first two sentences of your press release should clearly define your overall message. It's the bare bones of what you're trying to convey. Ask yourself – have I covered who, what, when, where and why? You need to ensure that these first sentences leave a clear impression of what the press release is about.Attribute a Spokesperson:Once your heading and lead paragraphs are taken care of, it's time to allocate a spokesperson who can add some interesting quotations to the rest of the press release. Any opinions, suggestions or warnings should be clearly attributed to a particular spokesperson or company to boost your credibility. Using the old standard "said" is fine, as in "We believe this new technology will revolutionise the widget industry", said Ms Jo Shore, CEO of ABC Widgets. Always try to include the full name of your organisation in the second or third paragraph. (Leave the lead paragraph to conveying your message only.)What To Leave Out:Never repeat yourself over and over again in the hope that your message will sink in. It won't. It will get thrown in the bin. Never use "stop press" or "news flash". This is pretentious and journalists generally don't like it. Make sure you're avoiding clichés, and never exaggerate your claims or appear too boastful.The Format of Your Press Release:Your press release should be less than one page long if possible. Make sure you have the most important information first (in your lead paragraph), and then keep going until you have the least important information at the end. A good way of knowing whether you've achieved this is to remove the last one or two paragraphs, and determine if the press release still makes sense.It's important to have broad left and right margins, doubled spaced text, and a company logo that is small and subtle (don't be afraid to leave it out altogether – it makes no difference to the journalist). Your press release format should be orderly and tidy at all times. Avoid underlining, italics and bold unless completely necessary. Your writing style should be short, sharp and active. Re-read your draft and take out any superfluous words. Your target audience will thank you for it.And finally:It's quality, not quantity you're after. One well-worded and formatted press release is worth 100 that are badly presented. If you can answer "yes" to the question: "Would I want to read this press release even if I didn't work for the company?", then you're on the right track.

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